Best sound system in sub £3k car?

[callywally18]

Evening All!

May seem like a very pointless thread, but some of you like myself may appreciate a good sound system in a car.

Currently have a mazda RX8 with a bose system in which is pretty good, not amazing but its a good quality, loudness and bass.

Looking to change my car now, and one of the criteria was a good sound system.

Would a barge probably be the best bet? SOmething like an old Audi a8?

Factory fitted systems im talking about as well.

Any experiences are greatly appreciated!

[kambites]

Your best bet would be to buy a cheap barge for £1000 and spend the other £2k upgrading the audio system, I'd imagine.

Factory fitted systems, I have no idea. Don' most high-end cars have a better sound system as an optional extra? I suppose you'd have to hunt down one with it fitted.

Edited by kambites on Sunday 18th January 21:12

[nct001]

Ls430 with a levinson

[Matt UK]

nct001 said:

Ls430 with a levinson

Agreed.

Also the upgraded system in the Volvo s60 / v70 is much better than I expected.

[Seeker UK]

nct001 said:

Ls430 with a levinson

This

Or a P2-based Volvo (S60, S80, V70, XC70, XC90) in SE spec or higher - the 'standard' 11-speaker configuration for Dolby surround is good, the extra 2 speakers in a 'Lux' is rare and slightly better but you won't miss it.

Audi with Bose is OK but TBH, the stock system in all C5 A6s and later are very good too. An A/S8 will have a damn good system.

[BMWE34FAN]

My 2002 Lexus IS200 has a Mark Levinson system in and it is superb. Really suprised me with how loud it goes and the quality doesn't break down!

[Synchromesh]

Another vote for the Volvo "HU-803". I think it's the best system I've heard in a car full stop, and you should be able to pick up 2.0T for a grand.

[McSam]

Matt UK said:

Also the upgraded system in the Volvo s60 / v70 is much better than I expected.

I was rather impressed with this system too, in fact, most Volvo systems are very good.

They have a huge amount of customisability in the equaliser, too, which is nice.

[Megaflow]

Seeker UK said:

This

Or a P2-based Volvo (S60, S80, V70, XC70, XC90) in SE spec or higher - the 'standard' 11-speaker configuration for Dolby surround is good, the extra 2 speakers in a 'Lux' is rare and slightly better but you won't miss it.

Audi with Bose is OK but TBH, the stock system in all C5 A6s and later are very good too. An A/S8 will have a damn good system.

Another vote for Volvo. We had an S40 T5 with the optional 12 speaker dolby pro logic system in it.

Just wow...

Sold it last year for £2.5k. If I had room to store it, I would seriously have considered keeping it just for the stereo!

[hornetrider]

Good replies so far. I'd imagine the Bose in an A8 is very good too.

[anonymous-user]

Another vote for Volvo, the standard system in our V70 is good but if you can find a leggy V50 or S40 with the Dynaudio optional system for £3k it really is superb.

[JDMDrifter]

Find a Vauxhall Omega with the Bose optional stereo. Pretty Awesome!

[Limpet]

Another vote for the S60. The system in my 2001 car was the best factory fit system I'd heard, at least until i heard the Bowers & Wilkins upgrade system in my old boss's XF which is quite simply staggering.

In comparison to the Volvo system, the one in my decade newer 3-series sounds like one of those £50 micro systems.

[KarlMac]

Are 350Z less than 3k now?

Mazda's have optional Bose stereos, the one I had in a 6 series was good.

[IceBoy]

I agree with most of the replies.

AND...another vote fot Volvo DynaAudio systems. The HU800 series head units and speakers are excellent but if you get the Dolby Pro-Logic upgrade with 11-13 speakers (with two subs ) they are fantastic!

In fact, there used be a website just on this topic and I remember the ML In the LS430 and Volvo systems were top.

Iceboy

[csampo]

+1 for the Volvo Dolby systems

[blueacid]

I've an S60 with the HU-803. This stereo could raise hell if you asked it!

[keslake]

I've owned a couple of P38 Range Rovers in the past with the Harman Kardon upgrade.
Best system i have ever had in a vehicle, much better that the Alpine i had in the Jaguar.

[DiscoSINGH]

BMWE34FAN said:

My 2002 Lexus IS200 has a Mark Levinson system in and it is superb. Really suprised me with how loud it goes and the quality doesn't break down!

It's actually a Denso sound system - yes the sound is excellent for a OEM setup. ML systems are used in the newer Lexuses. When I had my IS200 I found that you can get a lot of bass out of the OEM system if that's your thing

[anonymous-user]

I think the Volvo systems are consistently very good, even the standard ones seem to have a separate amplifier and be at least as good as many "upgrade" systems. I have heard that since they stopped working with Dynaudio their "Premium Sound" systems are not quite as amazing as they were, I know from my experience the pre facelift Dynaudio system in the C70 it noticeably more detailed and clearer than the replacement "Premium Sound" system in the facelift cars. Swung the decision to get a prefacelift for me, in fact!